Death Inspires Living

July was a rough month all around me. It began with the tragic death of a nineteen year old and ended with the peaceful passing of a seventy eight year old.

Two ends of the spectrum of life. Leaving behind heart broken friends and family.

Reflection is part of my daily life. I think about things. Looking behind and forward. Pondering what comes next.

These deaths have had my mind in overdrive. I've planned my funeral, wondering what people will say and knowing that I don't want it to come anytime soon.

They have also shaped the decisions I make.

I was part of something that was moving too slow and not making any progress. It was consuming too much and not giving enough back. I made the decision to move on.

I have been plotting and thinking about creative projects, but not actually doing any of them. That stops as soon as the rain does. I need dry ground for the first one I want to do. :)

A book that has been in the back of my head for a while and accumulated cob webs in my hard drive was dusted off and thought about once more.

Tomorrow might never arrive. We have zero control over how many minutes we are given.

The last thing I want to do is debate and argue on Facebook about the election. There is an endless list of things I'd rather be doing and thus I choose to avoid it all (for the most part).

There is evil all around us, but I'm going to choose optimism.

I'm going to try and make every day count. To create memories with those that I care about no matter if they are in the next room or across the world from me.

To use my gifts for the greater good. To provide for my family. Inspire the world. Help my fellow man.

It shouldn't take people dying to inspire other people to live.

We should all be showing more empathy to those around us. Even if we don't agree on everything, it is never a bad decision to show respect.

I enjoy life. I enjoy living. I want to make every bit of it worth it.